TRANMERE ROVERS were taught the same harsh lesson for the second time in a week at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium.

TRANMERE ROVERS were taught the same harsh lesson for the second time in a week at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium.

Defeat to Huddersfield Town on Saturday was a variation on the theme of their equally painful setback at Brighton last Tuesday.

On the balance of play Tranmere were the better side in each of the contests.

But they finished up with nothing more than a couple of hard luck stories because Dave Watson's team have not acquired the knack of maximizing the return in terms of results and points from their efforts on the field. Brighton and Huddersfield have.

Brighton have put together the best home record in division two by cling on to nine victories by the odd goal at the Withdean Stadium.

And Huddersfield owe their surge in to the play-offs zone thanks to a run of five odd-goal victories in the last six games and 10 overall.

Tranmere's record in tight games is less efficient. They are more liable to drop points and the six that fell in to the hands of promotion rivals last week has left them eight behind Huddersfield and 11 adrift of Brighton.

For more than three-quarters of this untidy, wind-blasted scrap, Tranmere looked on course to close the gap on the Terriers to just two points.

They deservedly led through a wellworked and smartly finished goal from Paul Rideout on 20 minutes and looked more likely to increase the advantage than allow the labouring home side back in to the game.

Huddersfield, weakened by injuries and the early loss of striker Andy Booth, scarcely raised serious threat to the Tranmere goal until the final quarter hour.

Then two goals in four minutes credited to Craig Armstrong and Clyde Wijnhard turned the contest on its head. The fact that the first goal came from a deflection and the second dropped into the net off the shoulder of defender Ian Sharps rubbed salt in to Tranmere's wounds.

They also had their grievances against referee Phil Richards.

Manager Dave Watson felt the Lancashire official had been influenced by a vociferous home crowd during the second half and several players complained that Mr Richards had failed to provide them with adequate protection throughout.

There were blood stains in the Tranmere dressing room. Alan Navarro suffered a broken nose in a jarring 18thminute collision with Huddersfield's Garth Evans that left the midfielder lying motionless on the turf.

He was in no condition to continue after being revived by physio Les Parry who would have out-paced Linford Christie in his dash across the pitch to reach the stricken player.

There was more work for the medical man after Rideout was forced out of the action in the 65th minute with a scalp wound requiring six stitches. Tranmere's frustration showed in a clutch of late bookings for Jason Koumas, Mickey Mellon and Stuart Barlow.

If the referee has a corrosive effect on the game, the strong wind was even more damaging. The low, sweeping design of the Alfred McAlpine Stadium leaves no shelter on the pitch from the westerly wind sweeping across the Pennines.

Huddersfield had it in their faces during the first half. It was interesting to hear their experienced manager Lou Macari emphasise its significance in averting that by reaching the interval 1-0 down.

Tranmere had put themselves in a winning position. The wind made life hard for the defenders, forcing them back ever deeper.

However, it was of no assistance in Tranmere's goal which was fashioned by a sweeping pass out wide to the right touchline by Rideout and finished sweetly on the half-volley by the former Everton striker after Sean Flynn had delivered a perfect return pass in to the heart of the penalty area.

Huddersfield goalkeeper Martyn Margetson made two important stops to keep out long-range efforts from the impressive Koumas before the break, and was grateful to save with ease from Barlow when the recalled striker wriggled clear four minutes after the re-start.

Koumas went close with two further efforts and substitute Wayne Allison was unable to control his header from a searching Flynn cross in the 74th minute.

At the other end Tranmere goalkeeper, John Achterberg, had made only one serious save up to that point in beating out a shot from Leon Knight at his near post.

Then it all went pear-shaped for Tranmere.

As they struggled to clear a disputed free-kick in the 77th minute, Armstrong poked in a shot that struck a trailing leg and rolled past a wrong- footed Achterberg.

Then on 81 minutes, Wijnhard's challenge for a right-wing cross from Knight knocked the ball against Sharps and the rebound finished in the net to dent Rovers' promotion ambitions.